The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-11-02
Two Views Of the Presidency.

Mr.. Cleveland seems to indorse fully the
opinion of Postmaster General Villas that
he holds in "his personal care and keeping
the sovereignty and dignity of 10000, 900
people, responsibility so great that any
man might we'll dread to assume it for q
second term. In his letter to the Mayor of
st. Louis Mr.. Cleveland spoke of himself
as 1.-The bearer of the peoples sovereignty"
and at Atlanta, Just before starting on the
return trip to Washington, he declared he
would remember his reception las an evil
dence of the love of the people for the Of
fee which represents their sovereignty"
Apparently Mr.. Cleveland has no doubt
that while swinging around the circle he
has carried the sovereignty OF the nation
with him and put it on exhibition ut the va
rious stopping places. A Chief Magistrate
who, instead of considering himself pub
lie servant charged with the duty of adj
ministering the affairs of the Executive De-
partment In accordance with the laws as
provided by Congress and interpreted by
the Supreme Court, imagines that he Is the
exponent and personification of the su-
preme, irresistible, and uncomfortable SOW
ereign authority of the nation, must have a
pretty large opinion of himself as well as
of the Office he holds.
Mr.. Lincolns opinion of the Presidency
was somewhat IN contrast with that of Mr..
Cleveland. Il cant run this office on the
theory that / am the biggest man in the
country and every man must support me,
said Lincoln. Although holding Office in
time of war, and welding powers such as
no other Chief Magistrate ever exerted in
this country, the rail splitter President
never thought himself invested with the
mighty attributes of sovereignty. He was
only running an Office" and he plainly
IL l..
it according to his own desires, much less
on the theory that he was the biggest man
in the country" In fact, he often said
that he hadn't much influence with the
administration. Mr.. Lincoln understood
and appreciated the nature and true dig
nifty of the Presidential office as well as
any man who ever filled that high station,
but the idea of clothing himself in SOW
ereignty and becoming "the biggest man
in the country" only appealed TO his sense
of humor. He knew that the President
was simply high public servant charged
with certain fixed duties and the ad-
ministration of the laws provided by Con-
gress, whether he liked them or not. True,
shortly after the adoption of the Constitu-
ton, il was proposed to give the Chief Mag
istrate some of the attributes of royalty and
style him "Hs Highpess the President of
the United States and Protector of Their
Liberties" but it was finally determined
that the people should take care of their
liberties and sovereignty, and that the official
known simply as "the President" should be
burdened only with the ordinary duties of a
high administrative Office, together with
limited veto and pardoning powers. IL
sovereignty inheres in any department OF
tho Government, Congress and the Supreme
| Court ought TO have some share, since, ac-
cording 10 every theory, they are co-ordi-
nate in dignity with the Executive branch.
Perhaps, however, it would be too much OF
soeialistic division to make all the Con-
! gressmen. Senators, and Judges bearers
! of sovereignty" and custodians of supreme
national dignity.
Sovereignty, as defined by all recognized
writer's, is power which acknowledges nc
superior and no authority but its own will
Necessarily such power can rest only with
the people, and not with the Government
or any OF its officers. The power of the
| Government and of all public officers il
carefully limited by the laws and the Con-
stitution. II must therefore appear strang,
that the holder of an administrative offic,
can esteem himself the bearer or repre-
sentative of sovereignty. The error is al
the more conspicuous in Mr.. Cleveland
since before his election he seemed TO en-
terrain the Lincoln view of the Chief Mag
istracy, and declared the duties of the pos
Essentially executive" His experience nl
President should have strengthened tina
correct opinion. In tho recent matter o
the rebel flags he learned, under circum
stances of great humiliation. that as Presi
dent he could not return war trophies Il
his Southern friends. simply because Con
gress had not given him permission so Il
do. and his powers were only executive
Nevertheless Mr.. Clevelands conception
! OF the Presidential Office have undergone